Profile of Lincoln and Maxine Marty

Lincoln and Maxine Marty were married 64 years and lived their entire married lives in Belleville, Wisconsin, a rural community outside Madison. Mr. Marty worked as a machinist at a company in Madison but lost his pension when they closed in 1972. Mrs. Marty retired after decades as a House Mother at a local hospital’s nursing school with a monthly pension check of only $63.

At the release of the Wisconsin Elder Economic Security™ Initiative, their only daughter Linda shared, “I thought I knew a lot about aging and elder care because during my working years I worked for the Elderly Team at the Center for Public Representation, the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups and for the Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregiving. But even all that experience didn’t prepare me for how difficult it is to watch one’s parents struggle to live independently and with dignity into these so-called golden years. I’ve learned upfront, close and personally how critically important it is to have access to income and resources, and the importance of the fundamental benefit programs in Wisconsin.” Mr. Marty suffers from heart problems, macular degeneration and prostate cancer. Mrs. Marty’s health was also declining, plus she had Alzheimer’s disease. Still, they struggled to remain at home as long as possible.

Linda and her brothers helped as much as they could and tried to get some services into their parents’ home. But the rising costs outstripped the Martys’ modest income. Linda said, “My parents were never rich, but they weren’t poor either. My parents were regular hard-working Wisconsin folks and they tried as hard as they could.” Mrs. Marty was eligible for a Medicaid waiver program and Mr. Marty receives a small VA pension and is on SeniorCare. That helped, but ultimately, declining health, limited income and the lack of community resources forced Linda to move her parents into an assisted living facility. “It’s not what either of them wanted,” said Linda, “I wish they could have remained in their home in Belleville where they lived all their lives.”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Marty passed away in September 2008.

Stories like that of the Marty family illustrate the need for well-informed decision making by policy makers, service providers and advocates working on behalf of low-income seniors, particularly given the economic downturn and state budget constraints. The Wisconsin Elder Economic Security Initiative™ offers a conceptual framework and concrete tools, such as the Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index, to evaluate how well programs and policies are helping elders who struggle to make ends meet. Finally, policy makers, advocates and service providers have the tool they need to appropriately develop and assess programs and policies with respect to economic security for elders across the state.